Fog Light Mod + HID's

[OnyxCobra]

HIDs might take more power on initial startup, but less to maintain once lit.

 

[evilcw311]

caps? caps do little to nothing to stabalize current problems since they store voltage, and not much of it. I understand the difference which is why I am knee deep in adding a 2nd battery to support my stereo.

Again power is directly related to current right(P=i^2R or P=V x I)? so when the hids only take 7-9 amps how can you say they draw more power? I don't get it. I am not trying to argue but trying to make sence of it all in my head. I have a degree in electronics and worked in the 12v industry for a few years but this makes no sence to me.........

i never said that a cap increases power or helps supply it, if you read what i typed then youd see that i said it helps to steady the flow, big difference. Adding an extra battery gives you extra reserve, adding a cap simply allows the cap to take the hard hits and surges rather than your altenator or battery seeing them. all of the higher end hid kits that we ever did at my shop pulled a lil more current than some of the cheaper kits that some people buy, but thats besides the point. wiring straight into the headlight harness still isnt the most steady current flow you can get, ballast arent the most steady of devices in the current that they pull. as everyone has seen in our cars any flicker or irregularity in voltage or current on any circuit in our cars will most definatley throw some kind of light. thats all the post was ever meant to explain. if you are gonna do it, do it right with a set of relays.

i did my time as well in 12volt since i was young. got to hang out with RIchard Clark and David Navone on many occasions at many events. but that was all back in the day when you were top dog if you had a Denon deck modified with 4v out on the low levels, dual ALesis eq's converted to 12v power, image dynamics carbon compression horns and all that other good jazz.

Not here to stir the crap, just to chitchat and maybe help someone out if they need it. :headbang:

 

[Woody6799]

Let's look at it this way, we can argue the does and doesn't a million time BUT if wiring it through a relay works everytime regardless of ballast location then it is the solution. I have read alot about ballast interference and placement and if you take the time to hide/move/mount/wiggle etc the ballast you could have a relay done already.

only difference between this and your headlights is "30" would be the power line from the headlight to activate the relay, and "86" would be out to your ballast... I would do it if I had HID's, it is a safer route anyway IMO.

 

[Dysfunction]

Cool idea putting HID's in the fogs. I was going to do something like this:

http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-...on=DispPage&Page2Disp=/specs/DRL_880-WHP9.htm

I'm sure not as many lumens output as HID's, but a nice change from the stock ones, and probably brighter as well. Also consumes less energy than the incandescents.

Don't bother with those. I got em awhile back, and it lit the inside of the foglights, kinda. Put out absolutely no light. Send them back the next day. LEDs in the taillights are amazing however.

And to whomever said it... Even halogens with the "same color" as Hids, will be far from the same. A pure white halogen won't happen. Hids are the way to go.

 

[OnyxCobra]

I am seriously thinking about trying this relay method. My foglight HIDs literally throw the ABS light every time so I'd know right away if it worked.

 

[ttocs]

Let's look at it this way, we can argue the does and doesn't a million time BUT if wiring it through a relay works everytime regardless of ballast location then it is the solution. I have read alot about ballast interference and placement and if you take the time to hide/move/mount/wiggle etc the ballast you could have a relay done already.

only difference between this and your headlights is "30" would be the power line from the headlight to activate the relay, and "86" would be out to your ballast... I would do it if I had HID's, it is a safer route anyway IMO.

What is this relay diagram from? With this diagram you will be able to turn on your dome light when you open your door bt it has nothing to do with headlights..............

I was just wanting to know why relays were needed. I installed them already myself after reading it was recomended but never understood why as it isn't the current surges of 10 whole amps that requires it.

 

[evilcw311]

Let's look at it this way, we can argue the does and doesn't a million time BUT if wiring it through a relay works everytime regardless of ballast location then it is the solution. I have read alot about ballast interference and placement and if you take the time to hide/move/mount/wiggle etc the ballast you could have a relay done already.

only difference between this and your headlights is "30" would be the power line from the headlight to activate the relay, and "86" would be out to your ballast... I would do it if I had HID's, it is a safer route anyway IMO.

What is this relay diagram from? With this diagram you will be able to turn on your dome light when you open your door bt it has nothing to do with headlights..............

I was just wanting to know why relays were needed. I installed them already myself after reading it was recomended but never understood why as it isn't the current surges of 10 whole amps that requires it.

its not about the ballast needing the steady current so much as it is the other devices that the irregular upand down pull can affect, the flickering of power that a ballast draws can send bad signals up the wiring of other devices that are sharing the same circuit. this flicker causes lights to come on on your dash cause the car doesnt understand why that device is sending a signal that is not what it normaly sends. the relay isolates the ballast by itself so to avoid this.

 

[OnyxCobra]

my fog lights never trip the ABS light from being on, it's only if you turn them on once the car is started.

 

[evilcw311]

my fog lights never trip the ABS light from being on, it's only if you turn them on once the car is started.

which would follow my last post. if your switch is on when you start the car its already seeing the iregular signal coming from the abs wires but i fyou turn your switch on after youve started the can then you are changing the signal it sees and now your light is on. again, its not good having something like the ballast sharing a comon ground with other devices. its the same as the cameras that i do in houses and office buildings, i cant power my cameras off a circuit that has flourescent lights on it or it causes interference in the pic.

 

[OnyxCobra]

Ok so how bout this. Sometimes my headlights trip the ABS also but it's usually when switching them from brights to low beams and sometimes when turning them on too. But they have a separate positive and negative line running to the battery...

 

[ttocs]

I can deal with that explanation.

 

[evilcw311]

Ok so how bout this. Sometimes my headlights trip the ABS also but it's usually when switching them from brights to low beams and sometimes when turning them on too. But they have a separate positive and negative line running to the battery...

you are still trigering them grom the same wiring circuit as the abs regardless of it having a seperate wire going to the battery. when switching from low to high or visaversa you are again causing a flicker or change in signal being sent up the circuit. what you have to remember is that even though these dont pull a lot of current, they are making a hell of a lot of voltage---way more than 12volts. that leaks out across anything it is sharing the wiring with.

again, totaly isolate everything the right way with the relays, if still having same issue then well call an excorcist!!!! lol

 

[ttocs]

the change in current he talks about is only when the ballast is first powered up, you notice how the light changes colors slightly? For the first few seconds it can vary a few amps which is a fairly significant change since it is low current already. Going from high beam to low beam will flash the ballasts on/off/on and that could throw some codes.

 

[OnyxCobra]

the ballasts shouldn't be active when switching from high to low, it just moves the bulb in the housing. it doesn't ignite a different bulb.

Ok so how bout this. Sometimes my headlights trip the ABS also but it's usually when switching them from brights to low beams and sometimes when turning them on too. But they have a separate positive and negative line running to the battery...

again, totaly isolate everything the right way with the relays, if still having same issue then well call an excorcist!!!! lol

I would if i knew how. I will have to learn.

 

[ttocs]

I covered how to do it earlier in the post, either that or just order the complete hrns with the correct ends/fuse holders off of ebay for $15 each.

 

[OnyxCobra]

I think i read it I just didn't understand. I'll review it when I get closer to working on it.